#here we gooooo! | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

harrytheehottie · 2 years ago

Text

THE FIVE TIMES YOU KNEW: 2016

word count: 5.6k masterlist share your thoughts

A 4th of July celebration at NOBU was the last place Brooklyn would have liked to spend her Saturday afternoon. A holiday weekend was supposed to be spent sleeping in, eating every snack you can get your hands on and spending the rest of your day lounging between your indoor and outdoor couch. One thing Brooklyn learned living in Los Angeles is, you never turn down an invite to a party. So, when the Bootsy Bellows 4th of July All White Party at Nobu Malibu flier made its way to her group chat, she knew she had no choice but to change her plans, find an outfit and pay the exorbitant Uber price to make it happen.

Harry Styles has spent the last six months on his last tour with One Direction. A last tour that a few months ago he thought would involve all five members but like a lot of Harry’s life in the last five years, he was always prepared to expect the unexpected. It wouldn’t be a shock if Harry admitted that everything has just felt different since March 25, 2015. The feeling of his every move being watched is not a new phenomenon; it's something he has had to deal with since he was 16. Now the one sided conversations between him and paparazzi have shifted from romantic relationships to his thoughts on the band. The band that he knew was contractually done on December 13, 2015. So, when he lost one friendship he picked up another, this time convincing his longtime friend Xander Ritz to come on tour with him. It only took one drunken night in West Hollywood and a breakfast at his favorite diner the next morning to get his friend on board.

Recently, Harry found himself spending a lot of his 21st year of life in Los Angeles. It kind of just worked out that way, Xander was from the East coast and wanted to spend a summer in LA while traveling around North America and Harry had the perfect bachelor pad for the both of them. The 4th of July was the perfect excuse for them to attend as many private parties they could because if Harry has learned one thing about Los Angeles it’s that if you don’t want to be asked about a private matter, attend a party that will have far more interesting people than the guy whose band is in shambles and according to The Daily Mail can’t spend a weekend without a new companion. Tonight, his party of choice was the All White 4th of July party at NOBU.

Harry puts on his favorite pair of white skinny jeans and a white button down, his chocolate brown hair that’s grown past his collarbones and right to the middle of his swallows tattoos is in a mess and he can’t be bothered to deal with it. So, he does what he’s been doing for the last six months, puts in a shit ton of dry shampoo, runs his hands through his hair until he gets the look that he wants, puts on a pair of sunglasses on the way out and meets Xander in the back of the Escalade they always started their nights in.

“Have you ever been to this party?” Xander asks Harry, sitting next to him in an almost identical outfit, trading the white jeans for a pair of black ones and a cream cardigan over a white tee.

“Never really did much on the 4th, think this is the first one I haven’t had a show to put on or a manager warning me about the dangers of a firework show.”

“Biggest boyband in the world and they won’t even let you out during one of the biggest party weekends in this country?” Xander asks, flabbergasted at the realities of Harry’s life in the band.

“Think you answered your own questions there,” Harry responds as he looks back down at his phone, scrolling his Instagram feed to see who he knows will be attending this party so he can come prepared. Their routine has been like this since Harry split up with his ex and Xander came into his life. This was the last summer of One Direction and Harry had no idea what his future held for him but what he did know is that he was guaranteed to leave with someone on his arm at the end of the night.

Brooklyn spent thirty minutes rallying her friends out of the house - it was an impossible situation, getting six girls ready all at the same time but when she got the notification that the Uber was outside she was heading towards the front door, “You all have five minutes to get outside and into this car or I’ll be heading to this party alone.” She yelled as she grabbed her purse and keys from the entry table and headed outside.

Brooklyn’s friends were an ambitious bunch, they were always ready to take on any and every invite that came their way. She had been living in Los Angeles for almost a year now and it definitely was a town that was filled with a certain type of mid 20’s crowd but she was a smart girl and could easily read through the bullshit. So when she made friends with the three girls living next door to her who were born and raised in the city Brooklyn knew she found her people.

“Remember girls, we’ll never be this young again.” Callie exclaimed after everyone piled into the Uber.

“Oh shut up, it’s a 4th of July party, why do you always get so weirdly motivational?” Brooklyn shouted from the back seat. Callie was the closest friend to Brooklyn in the group, she was the first girl of the three that she met and instantly clicked with.

As the car drove up the Pacific Coast Highway taking the day moon that was slowly appearing brighter and the blue skies that were tinting towards pinks and oranges, Brooklyn felt something telling her that she made the right decision going out tonight. After a 45 minute drive from West Hollywood, the group was quickly let out of the car and made it to the open bar which was probably the only perk of these LA parties, but Brooklyn knew with an open bar and this many people, it was going to be pretty difficult to try and get the bartender's attention.

Harry has been trying to make his way to the bar for the last fifteen minutes. He’s been sucked into meaningless conversation with Xander and a man who's already had too much to drink about some East coast sports team and all Harry can think about it is how badly he wants to fill his drink. He usually has a rule about not drinking the weeks leading up to a tour but it was a holiday and rules didn’t apply on holiday. So, he made a beeline for the bar to refill his drink of choice.

Harry weaved through the sea of white, off-whites and creams trying not to think twice about every person who did a double take as they saw him. It’s the most annoying habit that Harry has picked up, being able to read a person's reaction to him and immediately know how the interaction is going to go. Luckily, this event wasn’t a place where people actually came up to you because they have their own egos to inflate. Harry finally made it to the bar, surrounded by other people shouting their drink orders at the already overworked staff. He shook his head at the sights surrounding him, scanning the bar stools to find an empty one, his legs and body moving toward the right side of the bar before he could take in her pull.

Brooklyn finally got the bartender's attention, after spending the last fifteen minutes trying to call them over, she looked away and back for a second and he was making a beeline towards her, ‘I still got it’ Brooklyn thought to yourself and just as she began to speak she was cut off by the person next to her.

“Casamigos, straight up,” the slow British drawl from the man that appeared out of thin air and spoke before Brooklyn could, she looked up at him and as her rolled eyes met his furrowed brows with a questionable ‘what?’ looking at his face unaware that she was annoyed at him cutting her off, the man spoke again “Actually man, can you make that two?”

She was annoyed at this stranger with his long brown hair, his shirt that was hanging together by one button paired with the smuggest look on his face as he took a seat at the empty stool next to her. The bartender was back with two drinks in hand, placing one in front of Brooklyn, “Just put it on my tab, it’s under Xander.” The man moved his body and was now facing Brooklyn. She took more of him in, the way the bottom of his chocolate brown hair had a slight curl to it, his green eyes that made her heart skip a beat, no matter how hard she tried to stop it.

“Do you do this often?” Brooklyn asked, as she picked up the glass in front of her.

“Do what often?” He moved his glass up to hers waiting for a cheer.

“Find the one girl alone at the party, buy her a drink at the bar, spend the rest of the night attempting to get her to go home with you?” She answered, taking her drink in, ignoring his invitation for a cheer.

“Attempting?” He lifted one of his brows, questioning her quick assumption of his character.

“Xander was it?” Brooklyn asked, remembering the name he gave the bartender not that long ago. He began to laugh, throwing his head back “What’s so funny? Is that not your name?” A sudden flush of embarrassment taking over.

“It’s Harry,” he replied, taking his glass of Casamigos to his mouth and downing it all in one go before flashing you another one of his smug smiles.

This came easy for him and the son of a bitch knew it.

She paused, searching for a witty reply, something to have the upper hand and find your way out of this situation and back with your friends.

“Well Harry, next time, this,” she moved her hands in the air around him, “would have probably worked if you asked me what I wanted to drink.”

“Noted, for next time.”

“I’m afraid this was your only shot and you blew it.” Brooklyn sat up from her spot at the bar, taking one last chug of her drink before walking into the crowd looking for her friends. Trying her hardest not to look back at him to see if he was watching her.

Harry was up for a challenge.

The chase, it was his favorite part of the game. He would be lying if he said being himself didn’t make things easier in the romantic sense but when he met a girl, or a guy, who didn’t think twice about who he was and treated him like anyone else? Now, that was something he wanted. Needed even.

So when the girl at the bar who clearly had no clue who he was, and boy could he tell when someone did and was playing it too cool. He knew he had to find her again.

Harry sat up from his seat and began scanning the room, trying to conceal his desire to find her again while coming up with a game plan on what he would do.

“I’m an idiot.”

As soon as Brooklyn found her friends, they were on to her like bees to honey asking about the man that they were watching her speak to at the bar.

“Babe, that was Harry Styles like from One Direction Harry Styles?” “Did you get his number?” “What did he say to you?” “What did he smell like?” They were all speaking at once and it was hard for her to catch up.

“Wait, he’s what?” Brooklyn said confused and trying not to let the embarrassment of not knowing him get to her.

“Did he hit on you? Did he ask for your number? Please tell us you said yes,” Callie spoke excitedly, she rushed over to you leaving the man that she was talking to standing by.

“No he didn’t hit on me,” Brookyln ran through what happened in her head a few times as her friends huddled around her - if they weren’t getting any attention at the party before, they definitely were now, “anyways, we can discuss this later?” She said firmly, trying to divert the conversation in any way she could. And after some convincing Brooklyn’s friends went back to mingling amongst the people at the party, it was weird this underlying feeling that Brooklyn felt since the moment at the bar but she couldn’t put her finger on it and tried hard to push it away.

Harry walked toward the back patio of Nobu, avoiding the same looks he got on the way in,

trying to locate Xander in the sea of white. He walked around the party, making small talk with those who came up to him. It wasn’t until he was talking to some music industry guy who was trying his best to get Harry to come in for a meeting, and he knew he couldn’t do that but was generous enough to give the guy his number. That’s when he spotted Xander mingling amongst a group of girls - a smirk immediately on his face.

“Xander!” Harry yelled to get his attention, Xander and the girl that he was standing next to both looking up to figure out where the noise was coming from and immediately when the girl next to him’s mouth went slightly ajar upon realizing that it was Harry who yelled out for the guy she was schmoozing with at the party, Harry knew she knew who he was. This wasn’t something that he really cared about but it was something that he appreciated - people making it known that they are aware of him rather than doing the opposite as a way in.

Xander waved Harry over, Harry noticed a third person with their back facing him, they weren’t in his eye line when he first stopped Xander. Harry maneuvered through the crowd as fast as he could avoiding those who tried to speak to him.

“Was the bar line really that bad?” Xander asked just as Harry was in earshot of him.

“No man, just got caught up in conversation with someone.” Harry replied, he had his hand out ready to introduce himself to the woman that Xander was standing next to and just as she turned his body he couldn’t help but start slowly laughing to himself.

“Am I missing something?” The girl standing next to Xander said to Brooklyn. Harry took a mental note of how close she was standing next to his good friend, silently thanking God for making finding the girl from the bar easier for him.

“No,” both Harry and Brooklyn spoke at the same time. Harry took the lead in continuing, “We just met at the bar, s’just funny how small this party is.”

“Harry this is Callie,” Brooklyn introduced him to her friend.

“Brooklyn and Callie? What are the odds of those two names becoming friends?” Harry joked after shaking Callie’s hand and re-introducing Xander to Brooklyn.

“I guess we never really thought about that,” Brooklyn replied. She wasn’t giving him anything to work with.

At first, Harry thought Brooklyn just had a good poker face. Xander continued chatting up Callie which left Harry and Brooklyn together on a random corner of Nobu. She was friendly, laughing at his jokes and telling him the minimum about herself. He knew that she didn’t want to allow herself the distraction of him but the way she scrunched up her nose when she laughed and her bangs perfectly framed her face and how she’d subconsciously grab the underside of his arm to lean in closer to tell him something or be able to hear him clearly. She was slowly cozying up to him. That hard exterior cracking with a warm feeling coursing through Harry that he hadn’t felt in a long time.

As the night came to an end and fireworks filled the Malibu skies, Harry and Brooklyn spotted their friends walking towards them in the crowd. It was now or never for Harry, he shifted in his seat biting the inside of his mouth, a nervous habit he’d had since he was a child.

“I think you should come to my show next week,” Harry blurted out. Brooklyn was looking up at the night sky to take in what he said, she looked over at him with a confused look on her face. So, he repeated himself a little louder, “Come to my show next week. We’re playing Levi’s stadium in Santa Clara, I can arrange everything — car, tickets wherever you want? Backstage even. I’d like you there.” She looked at Harry with her wide hazel eyes, brows furrowed following along to what he was saying. He blew it, he thought to himself as the silence between the two of them grew, it felt like minutes since he asked the question and was waiting for her response.

“You’re doing that thing again,” Brooklyn says, watching Harry intently.

“What thing?”

“The thing where you think who you are is going to impress me.” She took a pause between her sentences, Harry’s ego was only slightly bruised, waiting to see if what she had to say next was going to be the final dagger to the heart but just as she was about to respond, Xander and Callie had made their way back over to us.

“Brooklyn, Xander invited me to Harry’s show next week in Santa Clara! You have to come with me!” Callie said enthusiastically. Harry looked over to Brooklyn with a cheeky smile plastered on his face, whether she liked it or not, he was going to see her next week.

And Harry couldn’t wait.

“Fuck my life,” Brooklyn muttered under her breath as she went to change into outfit number four. She wasn’t sure why trying to find an outfit for a One Direction concert was turning into the hardest decision she had to make in the last few years but it sure was looking to be that way.

She was going to support her friend Callie in her pursuit with a new man. They had been talking since the Nobu party and Brooklyn was excited to see her friend find a nice guy. What she wasn’t so keen on was that it meant Harry would be there - not just existing but performing on stage and behind arranging everything for them tonight. And Brooklyn wasn’t going to fall for the schtick, she could see the play before he even said a word to her.

So, when the driver called Callie to let her know he was five minutes away, Brooklyn settled on a pair of black jeans and her Eagles vintage tee paired with an oversized jean jacket. The two girls made their way downstairs to meet the driver and sit in the hour and a half traffic to Levi’s Stadium.

Brooklyn had been to her fair share of concerts but nothing quite like this. The audience was majority young girls and women of all ages. Most men were over the age of 40 and accompanied by their young daughters. The energy was palpable from the moment they got on the stadium grounds.

Callie quickly texted Xander letting him know they had arrived and were heading to the box office to pick up their tickets. They found their way to their seats — row 1 of the second stage.

Harry immediately spotted her when he walked on stage with the other boys. Xander, Callie and Brooklyn right in the middle of the row in the direct eye line of him.

This was perfect.

Brooklyn was in awe watching Harry command the stage. His interactions with people in the crowd, the off the cuff banter with the boys and the crowd. He was truly in his element and she couldn’t get enough. Her eyes never wavering from his. He was wearing the same black skinny jeans that never seem to leave his body with a gray t-shirt. His long brown hair blowing in the wind as the pink and orange sunset filled the sky.

All the boys began to make their way towards the second stage near where the three of them were sitting. And like a scene from a movie, Harry looked Brooklyn dead in the eye as he began walking towards her introducing the next song.

“Santa Clara, how are we doing tonight?” Harry spoke through the microphone and was immediately met with screams from the audience, “this next song is going to be a special one because…” he took a long pause “I have friend Brooklyn in the audience who this is their first show like this they’re attending and I need the crowd to show them what you’ve got, alright?” He never wavered eye contact and Brooklyn could’ve sworn he winked at her as well.

Callie grabbed Brooklyn’s arm and shook her, “Girl! He’s talking about you!” She exclaimed. The crowd of girls around you in awe that Harry knew who you were and called you out by name and proceeded to sing like none of that just happened. The crowd screamed at the top of their lungs as Harry continued to put on a show. Whatever Harry was trying to do with all of this was working, Brooklyn felt the butterflies in her stomach creep up no matter how much she tried to push them away.

They made their way backstage, following Xander through the maze of the stadium, he handed us both AAA passes and led us to the joint green room. It was filled with people, a crafts table filled with food for them to munch on which Brooklyn was grateful for. There was table tennis, some of the band members were playing on the gaming console, there was also a toddler running around who Brooklyn later found out was the daughter of their hairstylist -- what a cool way to grow up she thought. Everyone congratulated the boys on an amazing show. Harry introduced the girls to everyone in the room -- Brooklyn trying to ignore all the eyebrow raises when he said her name suddenly putting two and two together that she was the girl that he was teasing on stage.

Finally, when they got a moment of quiet between the two of them Brooklyn began to speak to Harry. “You know, when I said who you are doesn’t impress me? I don’t mean it in a rude way - it’s just.” She took a pause, “I’m sure people throw themselves at you and big you up because of who you are but you don’t need to do all that. You’re actually a really cool guy minus all of this.”

A slow dimpled grin appeared on Harry’s face, that feeling he got at Nobu and seeing her actually in her seat at the show, and her face when he dedicated the song to her, it was all coming back.

“But don’t get me wrong, I’m here for all the perks as well.” Brooklyn laughed.

This was more than just getting what you can’t have, Harry thought to himself as he watched her laugh the same laugh that’s been playing in his head since the 4th of July.

Brooklyn and Harry kept in touch after that concert, they exchanged numbers and became fast friends. Most of their relationship was through texts and sporadic facetime calls. It was nice to have a friend that was completely removed from one another's lives so they were able to bitch and moan without the other having to take someone’s side but theirs. That was something Harry brought up early on, he was getting frustrated with making the new album, they were under a strict schedule and were actively mixing and mastering the album while on the road and wrapping up the tour.

“S’like I can’t get a second to myself.” Harry was ranting on the phone, he was somewhere in Europe and you were making your lunch at home. “I”m going from the stage to these makeshift studios to make sure everything is sorted and then a photoshoot and it just never ends.”

“I’m sorry, I get how that can be very frustrating. Do you feel like you’re pulling the most weight because of the absence of him in the band?” She didn’t want to say the name but she knew Harry would understand where she’s coming from.

“You know I’ve never had someone ask me that before?”

Immediately Brooklyn was filled with guilt of crossing a line. “I’m sorry I didn’t mean--”

“No no no, it’s a good thing. You’re making me think about things I haven’t before.” Harry responded.

The next few months went that way -- texts and facetimes until Harry was back in LA for promotion of the new album and the last handful of shows that the band would ever perform. Their friendship was blooming and they both wondered how the other felt about them but neither wanted to cross the night. When Harry would come back to his house in LA with groceries in the fridge and a note from Brooklyn letting him know she stopped by (he gave her the code to the gate when a package arrived and he needed someone to grab it and she offered).

He knew that was something that someone who has feelings for you did but he also enjoyed the friendship and didn’t want to ruin a good thing. But when Brooklyn would complain about the guys she was seeing Harry couldn’t help the jealousy that would course through him. He wished he could let her know that none of them were worth their time. Instead he tried his best to ignore all his feelings and be as objective as possible even if it was one of the hardest things he’s had to do.

“Did you see?” Callie had invited herself into Brooklyn’s apartment, it was the day after New Years weekend and Brooklyn was having her usual slow morning after a holiday weekend. She was just waking up, pouring herself a cup of coffee when she heard her friend walk through the door.

“See what?” Brooklyn asked, assuming it was a not so flattering image of her weekend. But nothing could prepare her for what she was about to see. Image after image of Harry on a yacht in the middle of the Caribbean island with a familiar face on his side. Brooklyn felt her heart drop in her stomach. She knew that he had this trip booked for months -- a vacation for him, his mom and step-dad with his soon to be manager and his family where Harry would then sign the contract for his new record deal. It was something he had been talking about for months after swearing Brooklyn to secrecy; there was just one major thing he forgot to leave out.

“Wow” was all she could get out as she scrolled and scrolled looking through every single one. He seemed happy, relaxed, care-free. He wasn’t worried about what the cameras were going to catch. It was far from the Harry that she knew,

“I’m sorry, I just saw it on Instagram and wanted to be the first person to tell you.”

“It’s no big deal, it’s not like we were dating or anything,” Brooklyn said trying to convince herself just as much as she was trying to convince Callie that she was okay, “he can do whatever he wants.”

She spent the rest of the night scrolling through the same ten images over and over again until she fell asleep.

Harry called her when he got back to LA. He wasn’t surprised that he was met with a no answer. He knew he should’ve let her know everyone that was going to be on the yacht. He opted to omit the complete truth which left Brooklyn more hurt in the end. If the roles were reversed he wouldn't have liked the person he would’ve become and he hates that she had to find out about everything through the tabloids rather than through Harry. He was fucked. He reached out to Callie and she let him know that Brooklyn just wanted to be alone and would reach out to him on her own time. So he sent one final text before heading to his favorite place to decompress - the studio.

I’m sorry. I’m a dickhead and I take full responsibility for everything over the last few weeks. Your friendship means more to me than any girl and I really want to speak to you but if you never want to hear from me again… I’ll understand. H xx

When Harry pulled into the studio and grabbed his phone out of the cup holder he was surprised to see her name with a new message.

You’re right you are a dickhead. Give me some time. I’ll get over it. B x.

Harry got the call that he was going to be in Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk while out to lunch. He was back in LA after a vacation to the Caribbean islands and dipping his toe in the water of writing and recording for his first album. He was sitting at his favorite booth in his self-proclaimed ‘best diner in LA’ and was scrolling through his text messages in his phone, his thumb stopping at one particular contact racking his brain on how he’d explain his way out of the last few weeks when a new text from Jeff and a call from an unknown number came through.

Harry knew it could only mean one thing. He spent weeks perfecting his audition, opting out of taking on an acting coach and deciding to call his grandfather who had served during that time and trying to make of his feelings and thoughts and how a young man who had been tasked to war by duty of his county and how the scenes would potentially play out. It all felt a bit silly at first - the prospect of a post boy band endeavor being acting - maybe even the kiss of death to his career but it was something he couldn’t not try.

Harry took one sip on his ice cold water, cleared his throat twice and said one more ‘please God’ under his breath before picking up the phone.

“Hello Harry, this is Christopher Nolan.”

Harry knew at that moment he got the job. The phone call was a blur, a constant stream of ‘thank you’s’ slipping out of this mouth. He couldn’t believe it. He got the job. He was buzzing with excitement. As he hung up he saw the text from Jeff that came in moments before the phone call. He quickly responded - letting his best friend and now new manager know that he got the part and will see him later. Harry sent a text to his mom next, a simple ‘I got the part Mum xx” it was pretty late back home so he wanted to be able to let her know without having to call and wake her.

Harry still had his phone in his hands, subconsciously exiting the messages app and back into the contacts. His thumb lingered over the B’s until he found her - Brooklyn. She was the first person that Harry told about the role. He had just come out of a meeting with Jeff where he told him about the opportunity. Harry was nervous, his only acting credit was playing fake sick on an episode of iCarly and before that it was a school play at age 10. Harry left his manager's office and headed straight towards Brookylyn’s apartment. It had been a few days since he last saw her - they got into the rhythm of seeing each other while Harry had downtime from the band obligations. She encouraged him to audition and was the final push for Harry to finally tell Jeff yes.

If he let himself think about her too much - he wouldn’t be able to keep his emotions together. He didn’t know how he could feel so much for someone who he had only known platonically. One could blame it on his 21 year old male brain who had only had feelings for girls he was romantically involved with but there was something different about Brooklyn. She wasn’t impressed by who he was - he knew it wasn’t a facade from the moment he met her. The way all her friends' faces dropped in awe the second he found her mingling with Xander and hers never budged once. Harry liked that about Brooklyn, it was rare to find someone who didn’t change their mind once they realized who he was.

Harry was interrupted from his daze by the sounds of plates in front of him. The best part of having a favorite diner is the waitstaff always knowing your go-to order — chicken fingers and onion rings with ice water. Harry pushed his long brown hair out of his face, took a bite of some of the food when the dreary gray clouds that were unusually looming over the city of Los Angeles turned into rain. It had been a few months since he last saw Brooklyn and a few weeks since their last text exchange. Harry needed to bypass the waiting game and let her know.

I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.

I just needed to get that out first before I share this news with you. I promise I’ll go back to not speaking to you until you want to but…

I got the role. I’m going to be in Dunkirk.

Within seconds of his message being sent he had an incoming Facetime call from Brooklyn.

hiii! she’s finally here. this is a story ive been thinking about and actively writing since 2021!! it means a lot to me and i am so excited to share this first part with you. please let me know what you think 🤍 and i hope you enjoy these characters and this world as much as i do.

#harry styles writing #harry styles fic #harry styles fanfiction #tftyk #here we gooooo!

108 notes · View notes